Stop the Pain
by Kitty9
Summary: "Life isn't easy, the pain doesn't go away, you just learn to live with it"…Morty decides there's one way to stop the pain. Caution: Suicide attempt
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Stop the Pain  
Summary: "Life isn't easy, the pain doesn't go away, you just learn to live with it"…Morty decides there's one way to stop the pain. Caution: Suicide attempt**

 _ **Author's Note: This takes place during season 2, after the episode with the Purge but before the finale. Speaking of the finale, how about that finale? I hope this year and a half goes by fast!**_

Morty stepped through a green portal onto the roof of a skyscraper. The portal closed behind him. He knelt down setting a folded piece of paper down and the portal gun on top of it. Rick would find it eventually.

The teen walked to the edge of the building. He peered down at the people walking below. They had no clue what was out there. There were vast galaxies with aliens who had no regard for life and millions of alternate universes with those same aliens. Morty looked down at his hands; the hands that buried himself and were the cause of so many deaths. This wasn't even his universe. He shouldn't be here. He destroyed his own universe, why was he gifted with another universe to destroy?

Morty had tried to tell his grandfather that he was done with these adventures but Rick never took it seriously. His grandfather would burst into his room a day later screaming that he needed Morty's help with something.

Morty finally realized why he was miserable. He was used, his brain waves were just used to mask his grandfather. Was that all he was? A shield? An object? Would Rick just go out and find another Morty? Would he continue on as if nothing happened? Probably was the answer Morty decided on. The word 'probably' gave him hope that maybe his life did mean something…maybe.

Would Rick shed a tear? No. That word was certain and it pained him to wonder why he was really on this Earth.

There was one way to stop the adventures. He looked down at the sidewalk. It wouldn't hurt…right?

Morty heard his grandfather's hovercraft land behind him followed by the clinking of cans and bottles.

"Th-th-there you are Morty! What are you doing out here?" Rick said as he fell out of his hovercraft.

"I can't do this." Morty said still looking over the edge of the sky scraper, his back to Rick.

Rick finally was able to stand, "Then get over here stupid."

"Stupid?" Morty whispered. A tear trickled down his cheek, "That's all I am to you! Stupid Morty. Idiot, can't think, dumb, dipshit, asshole. A shield."

"Get over here." Rick said again.

Morty clinched his fist, "I can't Rick. I can't do it anymore." Morty couldn't help but notice that his grandfather hadn't even come near him. He still stood where he was. All Morty needed was an I love you. He needed reassurance that he wasn't 'just another Morty.'

"Can't do what?"

"These trips, these adventures, everything! I can't do it Rick." Morty turned to look at his grandfather. "I can't kill anymore."

"Th-then we'll take a break. I promise no trips or adventures for a week."

"I can't..."

"Month?" Rick started to walk closer

Morty backed away from him. His foot nearly slid off the edge, he was barely able to catch his balance. Morty hugged himself, "Go away Rick. I don't want you to see this. I don't want anyone to see this."

"Come back with me Morty."

"You won't listen."

Rick kept walking toward him.

"Stop Rick!" Morty yelled.

"Or what Morty? Y-y-you'll kill yourself? If you are going to do it, you say it!" Rick yelled. It was the only reason Rick was still here. Rick promised himself that if he couldn't say out loud the words, 'I want to kill myself' then he would opt out.

"I-I-I"

"Go ahead Morty, say what you want to do. You want to make your mom become an alcoholic."

"I…I…"

"You want your sister to wonder if she could have said just one more thing to make you change your mind. You want your dad to believe every day that if he had just spent one more minute with you, things would be different. You can't, can you Morty?" Rick said, slowly getting to the kid. "You are too scared to do it."

"I want to…I want…" Morty fell to his knees. "I want to stop this."

"Stop what Morty?"

"Stop the trips…stop the pain…JUST STOP!" He yelled punching the roof under him. His tears wouldn't stop.

"Good, we can do that." Rick said. He finally got to the kid and knelt down. He put a hand on the kids back. "We will work through this Morty."

Morty lunged at Rick, wrapping his arms inside the lab coat and around his grandfather's torso. Morty cried into Rick's shirt, as he whispered, "I'm scared." Morty heard Rick's heart, he was sure it was beating much faster than normal. Maybe there was a chance that Rick was scared too.

Rick held Morty allowing him to cry it out while he pat the boy's head. After a few minutes, Rick stood up, "Let's go home. No one needs to know. It will be our secret."

Morty looked up at his grandfather, didn't he care at all? Couldn't he at least ask him to talk more about it? All Morty needed was an, 'I love you', 'I need you', or something. Morty weighed his options and realized that his grandfather coming out to stop him instead of just going to find a new Morty was the best he was going to get. Morty stood up, rubbed his red eyes dry, "Okay Rick, our secret."

"Now go sit in the ship." Rick said.

While Morty was walking toward the ship, Rick grabbed his portal gun and stuck it in his lab coat. Rick went into the hovercraft and started it up. He looked over at the sullen kid. "No seatbelt?" Rick questioned. When he didn't get a response from the unbuckled teenager, he put the ship in drive and flew off. The two were silent on their way home. Rick landed the craft in the garage and the two of them stepped out.

Morty started to walk off when Rick eyed him, "You feeling okay Morty?"

"Yeah Rick. Just going to the kitchen." Glasses could be heard clinking. "Mom's in the kitchen so no need to worry about me…you know, being alone."

Morty stopped in the doorway when he heard Rick talking, "Life isn't easy, the pain doesn't go away, you just learn to live with it, but the pain will always be there Morty."

Morty stared down the hall at his mom in the kitchen with her wine glass in front of her. He nodded his head to show his grandfather he heard him.

Rick grunted and went to sit at his work bench. He looked back to ensure he was alone then brought out his portal gun and the note that was under it.

"Family,

I'm sorry for everything. I just can't handle anything anymore. I can't go on another adventure. I can't kill anymore. This universe would be better without me. I'm sorry. Please don't miss me. Besides there's a million Morties out there. If you miss me too much, you can just go find another one to replace me. I'm fine with that. Maybe that Morty will be less of a chicken. Maybe he will be a better son, brother, grandson, and just an all around better Morty.

Love you guys,  
Morty"

Rick sighed. He grabbed a locked box that was on his shelf and opened it. Rick put the note on top of several other notes signed by himself and closed it. He put the box back on the shelf as he muttered, "Guess he really is growing into my footsteps." Rick took a swig of his flask.

The day's events finally hit him; he was the cause of his grandson almost killing himself. Rick furrowed his brow as he realized he shouldn't have come into this kid's life. He should have left well enough alone. He grabbed the lock box and threw it on the ground. The metal clinked against the cement. Rick fell to the ground and buried his head in his knees. He had depression, his daughter had depression, and now he was taking his grandson down the same hellish route. Rick tried his hardest to keep Morty near him for his brainwaves but not too close to his heart. How did he get to the point of caring?

He remembered his panic and fear when he realized Morty was gone, when he realized his portal gun was gone, and how it all came together when he found the kid on the skyscraper. Rick's heart tore apart when he saw that kid staring over the edge of the skyscraper.

Rick fumbled in his lab coat for his laser gun. He put it to his forehead. "I…I…I'm sorry Morty, I'm sorry for coming into your life. I'm sorry for making you feel inferior." He cried out then threw the laser gun on the floor. "I'm sorry I'm so weak."

Eventually Morty would try his first alcoholic drink and continue the family cycle. He told Morty the pain won't go away but he didn't say it can be masked with a simple beverage. Morty will learn that on his own. He would learn the truth. Until then, Rick just had to do the best he could to keep Morty safe.

Rick lay on the ground, the pain was there, and it was always there. It never went away. He could hide it, but it never went away.

 ** _I hope you enjoyed and will rate and review (R/R). Also, there will be a second chapter._**


	2. Unspoken Words

**Title: Stop the Pain  
Part 2: Unspoken Words**

Morty successfully completed two full weeks of school without going on one of Rick's 'adventures.' If it weren't for the family dinners every night he would have never seen his grandfather. Rick would come out for a quick meal and disappear into the garage. Beth and Jerry noticed the tension any time the two saw each other. It was as if the two were ashamed to be in the others presence.

Morty was washing the dinner plates contemplating the last two weeks, he missed the 'adventures' although he would never tell Rick. Morty dropped a plate when he heard Rick's voice say his name behind him, both watched as it shattered.

"MOURGHty come to the garage with me."

"Aw geez Rick, it hasn't even been a month." Morty said, he knelt down to grab the broken plate, "Now mom is going to be angry."

Rick bent down quickly picking up the pieces and tossed them into the sink. "It won't take long. We'll clean the plate after."

Morty sighed, "Fine."

Rick walked toward the garage with the kid in tow. Morty watched as Rick grabbed the portal gun and two small bracelets from his work bench. "Put the bracelet on." Rick said snapping his on as Morty watched him.

"What's it for?" Morty held onto it nervously.

"Just do it."

Morty snapped his on, there was no use arguing with Rick.

Rick shot a portal and the two walked in. Morty looked around the room. "The living room? You had us go through the portal to get to the living room?"

"M-m-morty, I want you to see what everything would be like if you did jump. In this universe, this Morty jumped. This Rick wasn't able to stop this Morty. This would be the family two weeks later."

Morty felt his heart stop. He never thought about another Morty having the same issue.

Morty watched his mom walk into the room with a bottle of wine in her hands. She slunk to the couch. "Your mom hasn't stopped hitting the bottle since that day. She can't sleep. She j-j-just drinks." Rick grabbed his flask and took a swig.

Morty sat up on the couch next to her as she polished off the bottle. He went to touch her, his hand went right through her. Morty stare at his hands.

"I've been perfecting these bracelets for the last two weeks so I can show you this universe. These bracelets make us intangible to any organic matter and some inorganic such as clothing in any dimension other than our own." Rick said standing next to Morty.

Summer walked into the room. She looked disheveled; Morty had never seen his sister like that. Her eyes were red and puffy. She couldn't cry anymore.

"Whoa, Summer looks like the walking dead." Rick said laughing.

Morty shushed his grandfather as Summer spoke up.

"I can't believe he did it." Summer said sitting on the couch.

"Same." Beth said.

"I'm right here!" Morty yelled.

"Let me show you, yOURGH pathetic father." Rick said walking away from the kid.

They walked into the dining room; Jerry was sitting at the table in his normal spot. He had his balloon game on his tablet. Jerry wasn't popping the balloons; he was just staring at them.

Rick took a swig of his flask. "Your father hasn't talked since that day. He blames himself."

"But it wasn't his fault." Morty said.

"Doesn't matter. He barely made it through your funeral without breaking down. Guy nearly lost it, Beth had to console him."

"My funeral?" Morty whispered.

Rick walked off. Morty followed closely behind. They walked outside where the sun was shining. The two went down the street. Everything else was happy here. The sun shined, kids were playing, and everything was at peace.

Rick walked into a cemetery and pointed down at a block.

Morty fell to his knees as he read his name on the cement block. Below his names, the date he was born and the date he was going to jump.

He put his hand out to touch it. Morty looked up at his grandfather. "I don't get it, where's Rick in all this? Did he leave the family behind?"

"Yeah he left the family." Rick said then pointed next to the stone. The stone next to his read, Richard Sanchez. The end dates on both stones were the same.

"You…" Morty couldn't say anything.

"When this Morty killed himself, Rick couldn't make it through the night." Rick made his hand look like a gun and put it to his temple and pretend to fire the trigger. "This Rick ended it just as quickly as his Morty did."

Morty felt tears run down his cheek.

Rick sighed. He knelt down and forced the kid to look him in the eyes, "Morty listen carefully because this is the only time I will ever say this, you dense piece of shit. I know you think I use you. I know you think that I don't care but it's obvious that I do care. I can't live without you. You want me to break down the wall and cry, I won't. But I will make sure you outlive me. If you ever think I'm going to let you die before me and make me live alone on this miserable piece of shit we call Earth you have another thing coming. And when I die, if you shed one tear I will haunt your ass."

Morty let out a chuckle.

"You are better off without me and to ever think that I'm better off without you is the most dumb and most asinine thing that I have ever heard. And I've heard some dumb shit; I do hang out with you after all."

Morty smiled. He wrapped his arms around his grandfather. "Thanks Rick. That was what I needed." He said.

Rick hugged his grandson back, it felt nice to hug for once. Rick rubbed the kid's back as they hugged for much longer than Rick wanted to admit.

Morty took in the hug, it wasn't the words he wanted to hear but it was all he needed. He needed to know he was loved. Tomorrow, Rick would go back to being the same Rick and Morty would be forced to follow him aimlessly. However, right now, at this moment he was happy. They were grandfather and grandson and they loved each other without ever saying anything.

Rick and Morty knew they had an unspoken love.

How else would a bond be so strong that it went through every dimension? How else would their bond be so strong that Morty would be the reason why Rick would come back to see his family?

Fin.

 ** _So, the original story was actually following the two that killed themselves. The original story had Morty slipping off the building when he backed away from Rick. And Rick reading the note, realizing he was the cause and choosing to end himself instead of finding another Morty to destroy. But alas, I chose to let our favorite characters survive and have my characters in the background as the lesson._**

 ** _Anyways thanks for reading, please review!_**


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